The 5 Types Of Alcoholics

Consuming alcohol forces the kidney to secrete alcohol instead of the uric acid, which then increases this acid within the bloodstream, triggering attacks of gout. Chronic severe alcoholics are the rarest and most dangerous type.

The good news is people in this group seek treatment at a higher rate than other groups. They are also the most likely to participate in detox programs at inpatient treatment centers and other rehabilitation programs. People who fall into the young adult alcoholic subtype also rarely have a family history of alcoholism. Alcoholism is considered to be a heritable disease, as NIAAA reports that genetics can account for about half of the risk for developing the disease. The flip side of this coin, however, is that environmental and other factors make up the other half of the risks for the onset of addiction.

That is, the job, the respect of the community, and the support of friends and loved ones can all disappear in an instant if drinking continues. Although most chronic severe alcoholics begin drinking at a young age, most do not develop a dependence on alcohol until later, by the age of 30. Chronic severe alcoholism is the rarest type, affecting less than 10 percent of people with an alcohol problem. This type of alcoholism is most common in middle-aged people who began drinking at a young age and later developed serious dependence. The age group that makes up this subtype is at a time in life when many people in the United States are attending college. College campuses are well-documented as common settings for people to begin binge-drinking, which refers to drinking more than four or five drinks within a two-hour window.

Functional Alcoholic

Traveling for healthcare & essential services is permitted across the US. Addiction treatment is essential, and we are here for our patients in this difficult time. Desert Hope is taking every precaution to ensure patient and staff safety. We are able to test incoming patients and anyone feeling unwell to ensure peace of mind and focus on addiction treatment. At our beautiful oasis, located in Las Vegas, Nevada, all levels of care including detox, in-patient, outpatient and sober living. Understand that it often takes many conversations like these for your loved one to agree to consider treatment.

You may suffer from denial that your drinking is problematic as you are able to compartmentalize your drinking life. You probably have a family and few issues maintaining relationships.

While this group is not especially likely to seek treatment, those that do tend to attend self-help groups, specialty treatment programs, detoxification programs, and private health care providers. The young anti-social subtype makes up 21% of alcoholics in the U.S. The average age is 26 and over 50% of this group have a anti-social personality disorder.

Most people with anti-social personality disorder won’t be diagnosed with the problem unless they’re arrested and ordered to seek out treatment. Those with the disorder intentionally engage in destructive behaviors when the opportunity presents itself with no remorse. Not everyone in this group has anti-social effects of alcohol personality disorder. Some have other types of co-occurring disorders like anxiety disorders, extreme depression, or an addiction to other substances. It is estimated that 1/3 of the anti-social type alcoholic will seek out treatment. The young adult type of alcoholic makes up 32% of alcoholism in the U.S.

Functional Alcoholics

This spectrum of addiction might make it more challenging to group people into even theoretical categories, though for diagnostic and other purposes, researchers and treatment professionals may try. The liver plays a heavy role in filtering out toxins within the body. Excessively consuming alcohol tends to create scar tissue in replacement of healthy tissue, creating a condition called alcoholic liver cirrhosis. This disease https://ecosoberhouse.com/ is very painful and can cause confusion, internal bleeding, and a buildup of fluid within the stomach. Medications can treat alcoholic liver cirrhosis, but it is always recommended to decrease alcohol intake, so your liver can start to function normally again. We know the struggle, which is why we’re uniquely qualified to help. If you find that the above descriptions resemble you or a loved one, you’re not alone.

The functional subtype accounts for about a fifth of all alcohol addictions. This means despite their addiction to alcohol, they hold steady jobs, are in relationships, have decent family incomes, and tend to have a higher level of education. This subtype of alcoholics is generally in their mid-20s and started drinking young. Early episodes of binge and heavy drinking can elevate the risk for struggling with alcohol-related issues later in life. The largest percentage of alcoholics fall into this group, as NIAAA publishes that 31.5 percent of all alcoholics in the United States fit this subtype.

The Types Of Alcoholism Classified

Less than 50% of those in this category will have sought professional help for their drinking, but they do have the best rate for participation within private recovery providers. Through scientific research that analyzed the data of nearly 1500 respondents, NIAAA scientists found evidence to support the 5 alcoholic types in alcoholism existence of five distinct subtypes of alcoholism. To explain further, Type I alcoholics want to avoid harm and seek social rewards; countered by low novelty. Type II alcoholics have the opposite qualities; they are considered high novelty with low levels of harm avoidance and reward-seeking behavior.

In the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence, Moss and colleagues describe the five types of alcoholics. But before you read those descriptions, keep Moss’ advice in mind. You come from a home where a close family member probably struggled with alcoholism. You are middle-aged, and started drinking and engaging in problematic drinking habits early in life.

Subcategories Of Alcohol Use Disorder

The functional subtype is what you might think of when you hear “functional alcoholics.” Making up 19.5% of alcoholics, this is the group that are holding down jobs and relationships. Members of this group generally start drinking later and develop an alcohol dependence later .

• The chronic severe subtype makes up the smallest percentage of alcoholics, with only 9.2%.
• This group tends to start drinking at the youngest age and also develops an alcohol dependence at the earliest age .
• These are people that may seem to have their lives together, the ones that others look up to.
• Around 50 percent of young antisocial drinkers carry a diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder .
• Individuals may have started drinking in earnest in their mid-teens becoming dependent on alcohol by the time they reached 18-years of age.
• Drinking a lot on a single occasion slows your body’s ability to ward off infections – even up to 24 hours after getting drunk.

Unlike regular young adult alcoholics, antisocial alcoholics tend to have a family history of alcoholism. They also typically suffer from co-occurring mental health problems, such as bipolar disorder, depression, antisocial personality disorder, or social anxiety disorder. Most likely what a person pictures when the term alcoholic is used, the chronic severe alcoholic subtype only accounts for about 9 percent of the entire US alcoholic population. A chronic severe alcoholic likely started drinking and struggling with alcohol-related issues and problematic drinking at a young age and is currently middle-aged. This subtype also battles antisocial personality disorder at high rates and regularly has issues with the law and therefore criminal or legal troubles as well.

Intermediate familial – around half of these drink addicts have relatives who are also dependent on alcohol. People develop a drinking problem for a variety of reasons and not solely because of personality, though that can be a contributing factor. Only 9 percent are of the “chronic severe” subtype that fit the stereotypical low-bottom alcoholic. Research has shown that individuals in this category tend to be middle aged individuals who began drinking early.

Peer pressure is severe at this age and many people find it difficult to fight. Nearly 19 percent of alcoholics in the U.S. fall into the intermediate familial category.

Find Help For Your Addiction

To learn if Ark Behavioral Health is the right option for you, please contact a representative today. Chronic or compulsive alcohol consumption and drug use puts you and your loved ones at increased risk for health problems, legal problems, financial jeopardy, and more.

Many people start drinking at a young age with or without permission; however, it’s important to understand the criteria for alcoholism as not everyone who drinks alcohol develops a dependency. Many people go out drinking sensibly but, there is cause for concern when it comes to peer pressure, social issues or, personal circumstances which may lead to a reliance on alcohol. There is no denying the fact that approximately 88,000 people die through alcohol-related causes on an annual basis.

Posted by: Alyssa Peckham